Screw driver



June 10., 1924.

1,497,363 K. DOPPEL S CREW DRIVER Filed Sept. 1, 1923 a f4 j@ la y @gw Patented .lune l0, 1924.

KARL DPPEL, 0F ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

SCREW DRIVER.

Application led September 1, 1923. Serial No. 660,551.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, KARL DPPEL, a citizen of the GermanRepublic, residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Screw Drivers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation toimprovements in screw-drivers and consists in the novel features of construction more fully set forth in the specification and pointed out in the claims.

The object of the present invention is to provide a screw-driver having a shank made up of several complementary screw-engagin elements so that it may be readily adaptab e to various sizes of screws; a further object is to provide a detachable handle for the shank into which either end thereof is insertable; a further object is to provide means for securely holding the shank in the holder andthe respective screw-engaging elements in both their operative and inoperative positions in the shank. Further and other advantages will be better apparent from a detailed description of the mvention in connection with the accompanying drawing in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved screw-driver with the respective screw-driving elements in place for engagement with a large-sized screw; Fig. 2 is an enlarged middle longitudinal section through both shank and handle, parts being in elevation; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the handle taken at right angles to Fig. 2 with the shank in elevation; Flgs. 4, 5 and 6 are enlarged sectional detalls taken on the lines 4-4, 5-5, and 6-6 of Fig. 2 respectivel Fig. 7 is a side elevation of one of t e complementary screwdriving elements detached; and Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the screw driver with the opposite end of the shank than that shown in Fi 1 in position to be used as the driving e ement; Fig. 9 is a detached view of the block 3.

Referring to the drawings, H re resents the handle of the screw-driver an S the shank removably secured therein. The shank receiving en'd of the handle H terminates in a cap 1, through the end of which and extendin into the handle about half the len h o the cap is a socket 2, said socket aving e tapering extension 2 of reduced width extending back into the handle about one half its length. A block'3 is secured into the handle at the base of socket 2, and has a slot 4 formed in it coinciding in width and length with the outer end of socket 2. The ends of the block 3 are provided with enlargements to form shoulders 5, 5 overhanging the slot 4.

Centrally disposed in each side wall of socket 2 is a depression 6 covered by a countersunk plate 7 and in each depression is a-ball 8 pressed by a spring 9 through a hole 10 in plate 7. These balls are gripping devices to hold the shank 'into the handle as we shall see after the shank S has been described.

The shank S is composed of two like membersll, 11, heldin spaced relation by a screw-driving element 12 riveted between the members 11, 11 at one end, and a screwdriving element 13 riveted between the members 11, 11 atthe otherend, as shown. The screw-driving element 12 is not intended to cooperate with any other element although the screw-driving element 13 1s arranged to cooperate with either or both of a pair of elements 14, 14. Accordingly the element 13 is only about one-half as wide as the members 11, 11 so that there will be slots 15, 15 formed on the sides of element 13. Each slot 15 is traversed by a pin 16 on which the element 14 is ivoted, said pin traversing a slot 16 in the inner end of said element 14.

Two balls 17, 17 are arranged in oppositely disposed recesses 18, 18 formed in adjacent sides of members 11, 11 near the inner end of screw-drivin element 13, said balls being pressed outwar ly by a coiled spring 19 between them. Each element 14 is provided on opposite edges with depressions 2O and 21 so spaced that when the element is withdrawn between members 11, 11, one of the balls will enter depression 21, and when the element is brought out to cooperate wit-h element 13 the ball will enter depression 20. The object of this is as follows: Owing to the fact that the depth of each slot 15 is substantially the same as the width of the element 14, this element cannot be swung outwardly into operative position unless the pin 16 is at the outer end of slot 16. Now after an element 14 has been swun into o erative position (as shown by the lower e ement, Fig. 2) it is pushed in until the pin l in its withdrawn position.

In order that the elements may be easily moved from one position t0 the other, I provide each with thumb groove 22 that registers with a notch 23 formed on each side of the shank S.

Referring back to the securing of the shank S into the handle I-I, it will be observed (Figs. 2 and 8) that either screwdriving element 12 or 13 is insertible into the socket 2 of the handle through the slot 4 in block 3 at ,which time the side members 11, 11 will abut the block 3, and the edges of the element 12 or 13 engage the overhanging shoulders 5, 5 of block 3. The shank is now firmly held in place but may be easily slipped out again. In order that the shank may not be removed quite yso easily, I provide a depression 24 on the outer face of each side member 11, near each end thereof, to receive a ball 7. which enters said depression as soon as the shank has fully entered sockets 2, 2. The spring 9 presses the ball firmly into the depression and thus prevents accidental removal of the shank from the handle.

Having described my invention, I claim: 1. A screw-driver comprising a handle, and a shank detachably secured thereto, said shank comprising spaced apart side members, a screw-driving element secured between said members at one end thereof, a pair of complementary screw-,driving elcments pivotally and s'lidingly mounted bef ment xedly held between said members at.

`one end thereof,.'a pair of complementary screw-driving elements pivotally mounted between the side-.members adjacent to one end of said screw-driving element, said com# plementary elements having longitudinal movement on their pivots and bein provided with depressions on opposite e ges, and a pair of spring-pressed balls disposed be tween the side members for engaging the depressions in the complementary elements in either operative or withdrawn positions.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aix my signature.

KARL DPPEL. 

